AES: ProTools 7 Announced

For Win XP and Mac OS X, HD, LE and M-Powered 11/10/05

Digidesigns ProTools software is iterating as fast as can be â€“ with version 7 just announced. As is befitting a round number version increment, ProTools 7 represents â€œan evolutionary leap in the creative power of the industry-standard digital audio workstation softwareâ€�. Pro Tools 7 software introduces a comprehensive set of new features and enhancements that delivers significantly expanded MIDI and audio recording and editing capabilities, greater mixing power and flexibility, enhanced efficiency (including for LE RTAS plug-ins), and improved ease of use.
Pro Tools 7 software delivers a whole new set of tools to advance the art of professional audio production and make it easier for those new to Pro Tools to use. The new software will be available for Pro Tools|HDÂ®, Pro Tools LEâ„¢, and Pro Tools M-Poweredâ„¢ systems. Nearly all of the new features and enhancements are included in all versions of Pro Tools 7 software (i.e. Pro Tools HD 7, Pro Tools LE 7, and Pro Tools M-Powered 7 software). Pro Tools 7 software is also a cross-platform release, supporting Mac OS X 10.4 (â€œTigerâ€�) and Windows XP computers.
â€œPro Tools 7 software is Digidesignâ€™s most exciting software release to date,â€� says Dave Lebolt, Digidesign General Manager. â€œWeâ€™ve added new music creation tools such as Instrument Tracks for simple and straightforward integration of virtual instruments, non-destructive real-time MIDI processing, and the ability to work with industry-standard REX and ACID files. Everyone working in post and music is bound to like the new audio region grouping and looping functionality.â€�
Lebolt continues, â€œPro Tools 7 software also includes new optimizations for our host processing engine that boosts RTASÂ® plug-in counts by as much as 150% on multi-processor computers. In many cases, that means we can now run more than twice as many RTAS virtual instruments or signal processing plug-ins as in previous releases on a given CPU. Pro Tools 7 software is power-packed to give our users more flexibility to create completely within the Pro Tools environment.â€�
â€œThe quality and performance of plug-ins, especially of software instruments, is now even more impressive,â€� states Ed Gray, Digidesign Director, Partnering Program. â€œAlthough most of our developers donâ€™t need to do anything to see performance improvements, many are working closely with us to go a step further by optimizing their plug-ins to gain even more instance counts within Pro Tools 7 software.â€� There are also many new products on the way for Pro Tools 7 from some of the best names in the audio industry: Antares, Arturia, Audio Ease, DUY Labs, fxPansion, Massenburg DesignWorks EQ, McDSP, Native Instruments, Neyrinck Software, Sony Oxford, Synchro Arts, TC Electronic, Trillium Lane, Unique Recording, Waves, and other companies.
Anyone who purchased a new Pro Tools|HD, Pro Tools LE, or an upgrade to Pro Tools TDM 6.9.x or Pro Tools LE 6.9x software, from an authorized dealer on or after September 1, 2005, is automatically eligible for a free upgrade to the corresponding version of Pro Tools 7 software (i.e., Pro Tools HD 7 software or Pro Tools LE 7 software respectively). Current Pro Tools M-Powered customers are eligible for a free update to Pro Tools M-Powered 7 software. Complete upgrade information will be available when Pro Tools 7 software ships.
System Requirements**
â€¢ A Digidesign-approved Pro Tools|HD, Pro Tools LE, or Pro Tools M-Powered system
â€¢ A Digidesign-approved Windows XPâ€“ or Mac OS Xâ€“based computer (Mac OS X 10.4 required)